79% of Voters Say Obamacare Marriage Penalty "Unfair"

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As President Obama and Democrats in Congress search for ways to make Obamacare palatable to Americans, a new poll conducted by Zogby International points the way on two critical issues. The Poll, which was conducted January 19-21, shows that an overwhelming majority of Americans oppose the “marriage penalty” that currently exists in the House and Senate versions of Obamacare. The Poll also finds that nearly all Americans want health care negotiations to be televised on C-SPAN, and conducted behind closed doors.

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As President Obama and Democrats in Congress search for ways to make Obamacare palatable to Americans, a new poll conducted by Zogby International points the way on two critical issues. The Poll, which was conducted January 19-21, shows that an overwhelming majority of Americans oppose the “marriage penalty” that currently exists in the House and Senate versions of Obamacare. The Poll also finds that nearly all Americans want health care negotiations to be televised on C-SPAN, and conducted behind closed doors.

Voters Say Obamacare Marriage Penalty is “Unfair”

The Zogby Poll asked:
Both the House and Senate versions of the health care bill include a new tax whereby married couples making a combined annual income of $50,000, and who do not receive insurance through their employer, would have to pay up to $2,000 more per year for health insurance than an unmarried couple making the same combined income. Supporters say this will help pay for insurance for many that currently do not have it, while opponents say it is a penalty on marriage. Do you think this is fair or not?

A strong 79 percent majority of American voters say that Obamacare’s marriage penalty is not fair, while just 12 percent think it is fair. Among Independent voters, 85 percent think Obamacare’s marriage penalty is unfair, and only 8 percent think it is fair.

A majority of married voters (86 percent) think the Obamacare marriage penalty is not fair, and just 8 percent think it is fair. Even 65 percent of single voters say the penalty is unfair, while only 18 percent call it fair.

Voters Want Health Care Negotiations Televised on C-SPAN

The Zogby Poll asked:
President Obama publicly said that he would make negotiations about his health care bill open to the public on C-SPAN. However, critical negotiation sessions have been held without C-SPAN access. Do you agree or disagree that the negotiations should be televised?

An 83 percent majority of voters agree that health care negotiations should be televised, including 61 percent who “strongly agree.” Only 13 percent disagree.

Among Independents, 83 percent agree with televising the negotiations, including 71 percent who “strongly agree.” Only 14 percent of Independents disagree.

The Zogby International poll was commissioned by The O’Leary Report newsletter. The Poll surveyed 2,377 voters January 19-21, and has a margin-of-error of plus-or-minus 2.0 percentage points. To view full poll results and crosstabs for today’s release, click here or go to http://www.OLearyReport.com .

Brad O’Leary is publisher of "The O'Leary Report," a bestselling author, and is a former NBC Westwood One talk show host. To see more, go to http://www.OLearyReport.com. To interview Brad, contact Shawna Shriner at (703) 272-1500 or shawnashriner(at)pm-direct(dot)com.